I Haven't Seen Barbados, So I Must Get Out Of This
by myrmidryad
Summary: Grace runs into trouble at a club. Warning: triggery almost-rape and non-con. Rated T for safety. Rich/Grace. Slight Mini/Franky and hints of Alo/Nick if you squint. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I own nothing.**

**xXx**

The club pounded with the bass beat, the flashing lights making it almost impossible to get a clear look at anyone's face. Even so, Rich could make out Alo dancing like a loon, obviously loving it. Nick was boogying away close by, and the girls were holding hands, bouncing in a giggly, excited circle. It was the kind of club he despised, but Rich had decided to bear it and make the most of having decent company at the least. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to dance. Grace had tried to drag him into the crowd, but gave up after he yelled pointedly that he would rather get drunk at the sidelines. She was having more fun with Franky, Mini and Liv anyway, he thought.

A hand grabbed his elbow, and Rich looked down at Matty, who smiled back at him knowingly. "Drink?" He mouthed, and Rich nodded. They shuffled around the mass of pulsating bodies to the bar, where the music was a decibel or two quieter. Matty was always good company for a drink, as the only other bloke in their gang who wasn't too fond of clubbing. He would swing between being at the centre of the dancefloor, and then having to get away and drink at the bar for a bit.

Rich cast one glance back over his shoulder. Alo and Nick had their arms around each other and were attempting some sort of can-can with the limited space they had, and the girls were nearby, Liv dancing with Grace and Mini with Franky, twirling the shorter girl around as they laughed, the sound consumed by the beat.

**xXx**

Grace spun in a circle and laughed as Liv copied her. They tangled their fingers together again and danced on the spot, the multi-coloured lights lighting up their faces dramatically. A tall guy with an eyebrow piercing and a hat edged closer to Liv, swaying suggestively. Liv noticed and grinned, letting go of Grace with a wink to dance with him, letting him pull her closer. Mini wasn't letting go of Franky any time soon, so Grace caught her eye and jerked her head towards the toilets, letting her know where she was about to go. Mini nodded, her smile enormous, and Grace slipped between the other dancers carefully as she left the dancefloor.

The toilets were predictably disgusting, but Grace was used to the state of such places and ignored it. When she came out, she didn't go straight back in, but lingered at the edge, trying to catch a glimpse of one of her friends so she would know where to go. Suddenly, someone touched her shoulder. She turned to see a broad-shouldered young man with an apologetic smile. He leaned close and shouted in her ear.

"Hey, sorry – do you have a light?"

Grace began to shake her head, then remembered that she had one of Rich's lighters in her bag and nodded. "Yes!"

The guy grinned, relieved. "Could I use it for a second?" He bellowed, and Grace hesitated. She didn't want to hand it over in case he took it, and it was a nice one. Someone had taken her mobile phone like that once. "I won't nick it!" The guy yelled, guessing at her reluctance. "Here – come outside with me, that alright?"

Grace smiled and nodded, letting him lead her to one of the fire exits. Just before she stepped outside, she saw Alo and Nick waving at her from the edge of the dancing, but just as she was about to wave back, the door closed with a bang. It was startlingly quiet away from the massive speakers inside, and cold too. She shivered, and the man who had asked her for a light noticed.

"You alright, love?" He sounded concerned, and Grace smiled reassuringly, unzipping her clutch bag and taking out the lighter.

"Oh, I'm fine. Did you want to use this?"

"Actually," the man's gaze flickered to something over her shoulder, and Grace turned to see a larger, older man walking towards her quickly. "We were hoping you'd help us out with something else."

Grace frowned. "What –" The man lurched forward and slammed his hand over her mouth as the man from behind her grabbed her arms and began to drag her backwards. Under the palm, Grace screamed, sudden fear erupting in her veins. She kicked out as hard as she could, but the man who had lured her out let go of her head for a moment to slap her hard enough to make her vision spin. And all the while, the larger man kept dragging her backwards around the corner till she was slammed against a dirty wall at the end of the ally, by the bins.

She tried to scream again, "HELP! SOMEONE!" But the first man slapped her again and put his hand back over her mouth, beginning to undo his fly with his other hand as the larger man pinned her arms up over her head, one huge hand as tight as iron around both her wrists, and his leg pressed over her knees to stop her kicking. Grace felt herself start to cry, desperately trying to twist away as her skirt was yanked up. Her blood was pounding in her ears, and all she could feel was terrified panic.

"GRACE!"

"OI!"

The grip on her face relaxed a little, and Grace turned her head to see Rich, Alo, Nick and Matty all running towards her, their expressions thunderous. The larger man released her arms and legs, and Grace tore herself away with a sob, fleeing into Rich's outstretched arms. His leather jacket smelled of him, and of beer and smoke, and Grace tried to bury herself in it, crying and crying and crying.

**xXx**

Rich was just about to order another drink when Alo appeared next to him with a frown on his face. "What's up?" Rich yelled.

"Grace just went out!" Alo shouted back.

"With some stranger!" Nick added. He was also frowning. Rich stood up. If they were worried, it meant they probably had good reason.

"Is that bad?" Matty yelled, and Alo and Nick exchanged a look.

"It didn't look right!" Nick shouted. Rich grabbed Alo's arm.

"Where'd they go?"

"This way!" Alo jerked his head and began to weave quickly through the throngs of people. Nick followed behind Rich, and Matty followed his brother. Alo was an expert at people-dodging, so carved them an easy path to the fire exit Grace had apparently left through. When he pushed it open, the cool air hit Rich in the face, a relief after the sweaty heat of the club.

"Where is she?" He looked around as Nick and Matty tumbled out behind him, the door closing and muffling the loud music. With the noise quietened, another sound was suddenly audible – a high-pitched, muffled screaming. Rich turned his head so fast he thought he might get whiplash, and he and Alo began to run. There was a corner that led into the ally where the bins were kept, and as they rounded it, Rich thought his heart would explode out of his chest. Because Grace was there, a little figure in pale colours, held helpless against the wall by two burly men, one of whom had just _pulled up her skirt._ "GRACE!"

"OI!" Alo bellowed, charging forward as Rich did. Matty and Nick let out identical snarls and the men holding Grace let go enough for her to pull away and run towards her friends. Rich staggered as she barrelled into him, her whole body shaking. He stopped in his tracks and folded his arms around her tightly, feeling her shoulders heaving as she cried into his chest. Her arms loosened for a second as she pulled them under his and then back around his middle, under his jacket, just in time for her knees to give out. Rich knelt down gently, holding her as close as he could. "Grace," he whispered into her hair. "Grace, Gracie, Gracie, it's okay, I'm here, you're okay, Gracie…" She didn't answer, but sobbed, her tears already making wet patches on his shirt.

He looked up with burning eyes. Alo, Nick and Matty were raining furious punches and kicks on the two men who had held Grace against the wall, and one of them broke away and ran for it. Rich wanted to erupt up in front of him and rip him into tiny shreds, but Grace was clinging to him so tightly, and he couldn't leave her. The other man tried to follow his friend, but Nick punched him hard in the stomach. He was easily the strongest of them, retaining his rugby player's hard-muscled physique even though he had quit the team, and Rich watched with grim satisfaction as the man doubled over.

Alo and Matty closed in on him, but the man staggered forward, dodging Nick's hasty grab and fleeing down the ally. Nick was not so easily dissuaded however, and chased after him, tackling him to the ground with a bone-shaking thud. At the sound, Grace cried harder, and Rich stroked her hair, ignoring his friends' voices as they swore furiously at the man.

"You bastard!" Matty had never sounded so scary as he slammed his boot into the man's side again and again. "You sick, twisted bastard."

"Fucking prick!" Nick growled, and Alo joined him, his transformation the most drastic. Alo never got angry with anyone, not seriously enraged, but he was livid now, incensed beyond words.

Rich didn't look over his shoulder to see how badly they were beating the bastard up, but kept his arms wrapped tightly around Grace, one hand cupped protectively over her head. "It's okay," he murmured, over and over. "Gracie, Gracie, we're here, it's okay, it's okay…shhhhh, it's okay…" He noticed that the grunts behind him had stopped, then heard shoes scuff the ground as someone ran away.

"And don't come back!" Nick bellowed.

Alo dropped to his knees next to Rich, eyes wide as he took in the sight of Grace crying uncontrollably into his best friend's chest. "Grace? Are you…Grace?"

Rich caught his eye and shook his head. Just let her calm down on her own, he tried to communicate with his eyes alone, and Alo seemed to understand, for he pushed himself to his feet again. "I'll get the van." He announced, turning to Nick and Matty. "One of you should go tell the girls."

"We'll both go." Matty said firmly, and Rich made a mental note to thank the strangely intuitive boy later as he led his brother away. Quiet descended, broken only by the faint thumping of the music from inside the club, the rushing sound of cars on the road and Grace's weeping. Rich almost felt like crying himself now that he was alone with her.

"You're okay now," he whispered instead. "They're gone, Grace, they're gone. Oh, Gracie…" he pressed a kiss to her hair and closed his eyes. "Gracie, Gracie…it's okay now, I promise, Grace. I promise. I promise." God, what if Alo and Nick hadn't seen her leave the club? The thought made him feel sick, and he hugged her tighter. "It's okay now," he told her. "I'm here, it's okay." He fell silent and just stroked her hair as she slowly calmed down, sniffing instead of crying, but still trembling. She lifted her head for the first time, and unwound her arms from him slowly, bringing her hands up to wipe her face. Rich ducked down a little and saw that her mascara had streaked terribly, giving her massive panda eyes.

When she saw him looking, Grace hiccupped and her chin trembled, obviously about to start crying again. Rich shook his head and pressed his forehead to hers. "It's going to be okay now." He whispered, looking into her eyes. "I promise, Grace. It's going to be alright."

She gulped and nodded tearfully, leaning forward to hide her face in his shoulder. She began to shiver, and Rich slipped an arm under her elbow, pulling her upwards. "Come on," he muttered, getting up, and Grace stood with him. "Hang on." He told her, stepping backwards away from her to shrug off his jacket and drape it around her shoulders. It was huge on her, but she clutched it gratefully and stepped forward to lean into him again, just as the sound of running feet in heels appeared, and Mini, Franky and Liv charged round the corner a few seconds later, their faces various studies in horror.

"Gracie!" Mini exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Oh my god! What happened?"

Grace's shoulders shook as she began to cry again, and Rich ducked his head and hugged her closer. "Has Alo got the van?" He asked quietly. Franky nodded.

"He's just bringing it round the front."

"Good." Rich nodded and squeezed Grace's shoulder. "Come on. We're going home." As he walked past them, the girls joined him to walk either side of him. Franky next to Grace, Liv on his other side and Mini next to her. The van pulled up as they got to the end of the road, and they all climbed in. The ride to Rich's was silent apart from Grace's sniffing. She refused to look at any of them, trying to hide herself in Rich's far-too-big jacket.

"Thanks." Rich muttered to Nick as he and Grace got out. "I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

"Take care of her." Liv blurted out, and Rich nodded as he closed the door. Alo met his eyes briefly before pulling away and Rich turned away to wrap an arm around Grace again. She leaned into him, somehow appearing smaller than usual against him. Perhaps it was because she was swamped in his jacket.

The lights were off downstairs when Rich let them in, and he checked his watch – it was one seventeen am. "You can shower if you want." He whispered, and Grace nodded.

"Yes, please." Her first words since it had happened. Rich stopped them in the front hall and hugged her.

"Grace," he whispered. "Grace…"

She was still shivering a little, and he let go reluctantly. A shower would warm her up. Kevin and Anita might be annoyed in the morning, but he couldn't care less. He led her upstairs and she went straight into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. He stared at it for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists before going into his bedroom and sitting silently on his bed. He heard the shower start a minute later and let out a shuddering breath, dropping his head into his hands and running his fingers through his newly shortened hair.

He felt so useless. He needed to make it better, somehow. He wished he'd been able to join Alo, Nick and Matty beating up the men. The almost-rapists. It was the first time he'd thought the word, and it made Rich curl his hands into angry fists again. He couldn't remember ever being so angry with anyone. If he could lay his hands on them…he wouldn't leave anything left. He imagined attacking them with a baseball bat or something. A metal pipe would be better. He imagined the sound it would make – a sort of dulled thud. Cracking if he got bones, perhaps? Yes. He scowled. He hoped they were hit by trains or something. A slow death was all they deserved.

He closed his eyes briefly, then got up and began to undress. To pass the time until Grace came out of the shower, he put his headphones on and listened to some the angriest thrash metal on his iPod.

**xXx**

The hot water was a blessing. Grace let it pour down her body and wash her clean. She felt so fragile all of a sudden. So easily broken. So easily restrained. The thought made her shudder, and her throat constricted with tears again. What if Rich and the others hadn't arrived in time? What if they hadn't arrived at all? Her knees wobbled, and Grace had to sit down in the bath, feeling as though she would shatter at any moment. Her head was pounding, and her jaw ached from being slapped so hard.

She was so _stupid_. How could she have just followed a strange man outside without telling someone where she was going? She was such an idiot. Such a stupid, stupid _idiot_. Stupid, foolish little Grace, who didn't have a clue what was going on in the real world. She felt like such a failure. Such a dumb failure. She hiccupped and started to cry again, as quietly as she could.

She was overreacting, a part of her insisted. Nothing had actually happened – the men hadn't had enough time to pull her knickers down. Far worse had happened to other people, so what right did she have to cry? She had been rescued.

But it was what _could_ have happened that was still scaring her, another part of her argued. If Rich and the others hadn't arrived and the men hadn't been forced to let her go…she would have been kept against the wall, perhaps slapped again. They _would_ have pulled her knickers down and that man who had seemed too friendly and concerned about her being cold to do anything so horrible, would have pulled down his trousers and pushed his way into her.

And what about his friend? Would he get a turn as well? Almost certainly.

It would have been painful, she knew. Would she have continued to struggle? Or would she have just given up and tried to imagine she was somewhere else while she waited for it to end? And what would they have done when they were finished with her? Like she was nothing more than a rag doll, they would have left her there in the ally, she supposed.

She stayed in the shower for longer than she needed to, but had to get out eventually. It was easier knowing that Rich was waiting for her in his room. Her metal man, with his arms open and protecting. She turned off the landing light as she opened his door and slipped inside. Rich had been lying on his bed, listening to music, but he pulled his headphones off when she came in. He looked worried. "Grace?"

She ducked her head, going to put her clothes on the dresser. Her nightie was there, and as she got it out, she heard Rich getting to his feet behind her. "Grace?" He said again, quieter, and she turned to look up at him. He looked so sad, and his hair was sticking up in clumps as if he had run his hands through it. He touched his fingers to her cheek and she sniffed.

"I'll be okay." She whispered, and Rich let out a breath, stepping forward to hug her again. His chest was smooth against her cheek, and she felt herself relax slightly. Rich would never hurt her, wouldn't even think of it. His hands were reassuringly warm on her back, and she sighed, pulling away and loosening the towel a little before pulling her nightie on over the top and pulling the towel out from beneath it afterwards. She was usually perfectly okay with being naked in front of Rich, but she just couldn't do it right now. Rich didn't ask about it, or act as though it was unusual, for which she was extremely grateful. He just picked up the towel and dumped it in a heap next to the door.

They got into bed together and Grace pulled herself as close to Rich as she could. She missed his hair fiercely all of a sudden. The way it fell over his shoulders and around them when they kissed, like a shield between them and the world. She wanted that shield now, to hide her.

"Grace?" Rich whispered in the darkness and Grace turned her face up to his.

"Yes?"

"Are you…how are you feeling?" He sounded so worried for her.

"My head hurts." She confessed, and could just make out his frown.

"Your head hurts?"

"He…one of them hit me." She said in a tiny voice, and Rich's arms stiffened.

"They hit you." He sounded like he was only just containing his fury.

"Only one of them." Grace told him.

"Where?"

"My face." She whispered. "He slapped me when I screamed. Twice."

Rich sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. He was clearly trying very hard not to erupt. After a few seconds, he seemed to have himself under control. "Here?" He asked, touching the tips of two fingers to her jaw, and she nodded.

"Both sides."

He was silent again for another long moment. Then, "I have paracetemol."

"I've been drinking, remember?" Grace said quietly. "I'd better not."

"Does it hurt a lot?" He didn't sound so angry now, more concerned.

"It aches." She admitted, and he stroked her hair.

"Did they do anything else?"

"Apart from pinning me against a wall?"

"Yes."

"No. Oh!" She realised, distraught. "Oh, I dropped your lighter! The one you lent me! He asked me for a light, so I went outside to do that, and when they grabbed me, I must have dropped it. Oh, Rich, I'm sorry!" So _stupid_.

Rich let out a kind of choked laugh and ran his hand down her neck. "Grace, I don't give a fuck about the lighter. Forget the lighter. You…if anything had happened to you, I don't…" He let out a long breath and touched his forehead to hers. "Just…honestly, don't worry about the lighter."

"It was one of your nice ones though." Grace still sounded upset, and Rich kissed her temple with another choked laugh.

"Gracie…you could have been…really hurt."

"Raped, you mean." Grace said quietly, and Rich paused, then nodded.

"You could've been raped. Fuck," he sniffed and kissed her temple again. "I don't care about the lighter. I can get another lighter. I've already _got_ other lighters. You're more important than a fucking lighter, Grace, okay? You're more important than everything."

Grace tilted her head upwards and pressed her lips to Rich's chin. "Okay then." She whispered, relaxing a bit more. Rich thought she was more important than everything – she already felt a little better. "How did you know I was in trouble?" She asked after a minute.

"Nick and Alo saw you go outside." Rich answered. "They thought it didn't look right, so they came and got me and Matty."

"If they hadn't seen…" Grace whispered, and Rich cupped her face with both hands, cutting her off with his eyes.

"Don't, Grace, okay? Don't think about it. We got there in time. They didn't do…anything more. We…" he sucked in a deep breath and shook his head. "You're okay now." He whispered. "You're safe. That's all that matters."

Grace closed her eyes and tilted her head to kiss him gently, without opening her mouth. She was safe now. And next time she saw them, she would hug Alo, Matty and Nick too. She was warm cuddled up to Rich under his duvet. For the first time since it had happened, she relaxed completely and let herself doze into sleep. Rich kissed her hair again and sighed, staying awake for a long time afterwards.

**xXx**

**Not the most cheerful of stories, but I had a plotbunny that needed releasing. This is un-beta'd, so if you noticed any spelling mistakes or whatnot, I'd be grateful if you let me know. Reviews are love!**


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